Britain's first armed police on routine patrol
Small numbers of police officers in Scotland have begun to carry firearms on routine patrol duties. This is of course unusual in Britain, which has a unique history of keeping its officers unarmed (with the exception of Northern Ireland, for obvious reasons).
I am worried that this may mark some sort of cultural shift in the police away from the 'friendly bobby', and towards the more aggressive style of policing you see in the USA and other places.
Plus I guess I just don't like authority figures having tools which could kill me in a flash. I realise that that is paranoia, but I think that regardless of the facts of the matter, at a more emotive level, this will make people view the police in a less friendly light for that reason.
I'm also a bit concerned that this could be a reflection of Scotland's more 'authoritarian' streak, especially with the prospect of independence looming. I don't believe that Scotland has such a healthy suspicion of the government as the wider Anglo tradition does.
It all just seems a bit 1984-ish. Especially when you consider its rather clandestine implementation - not necessarily done deliberately, but it makes me uneasy to think how this has flown under the radar. Apparently, it began with Strathclyde Police (which covers the Glasgow area and my home area) a few years ago, and has since been implemented throughout Scotland since the regional forces merged to form Police Scotland. The public only became aware of it when people began to notice armed officers in seemingly innocuous circumstances, eg at a shop or a traffic incident.
I blame a culture of fear that would rather trade away freedom than come to terms with violence or death.
Thoughts?
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